The Ice Cube Affect

Problem Scenario

Some people might wont to learn about this because then they will know if they have a big drink then to put in bigger ice and if they have a small drink then to put smaller ice in it.

Broad Question

I got the Science Fair question from Mr. Littlefeld.

Specific Question

How does the shape of an ice cube affect how quickly it?

Hypothesis

The ice will be in all different shapes and some will be bigger than others and some will be smaller so the smaller they are the faster they will melt and the bigger they are the slower they will melt.

Graph of Hypothesis

Variables

Independent Variable:

The melting time

Dependent Variable:

The shape of the ice cube

Variables That Need To Be Controlled:

The temp of the room, and the shape of the ice cube

Vocabulary List That Needs Explanation

---

---

---

---

General Plan

The ice cubes will be in different shapes and timed when they are melting. While they are melting pictures will be taken to show what happen.

Potential Problems And Solutions

The temp of the room could be a problem so I will make shore it is at the same temp at all times. My sisters will want to watch me as always so my mom will have to keep them out of the room.

Safety Or Environmental Concerns

The only safety concern I (mostly my mom) have is that I might cut myself when I am cutting the ice.

Experimental Design

What is your experimental unit?

One ice cube

Number Of Trials:

I will have to do this 12 times

Number Of Subjects In Each trial:

I'm going to be using six in each trial

Number of Observations:

I will be doing one observation for every ice cube

When data will be collected

February 22, 2013

Where will data be collected?:

I will be collecting my data at home in the kitchen so I have more ice if I mess up

Resources and Budget Table

Item	Number needed	Where I will get this	Cost
ice tray	1	Family Dollar	$1
water/ice	two cups	the sink	$0
freezer	1	my house	$0

Detailed Procedure

1. Cut ice cubes that are already frozen and then put them back in the freezer so they can become more solid
2. Take one out at a time and right away start the timer
3. I will take pictures before, after, and some pictures in the middle
4. I will right down the time down right after I finish on two different places so if I loose one then I have another one
5. Then I will take the next ice cube and begin all over again
6. When I have done all of them once I will do them again to make shore I did it right the first time

Diagram

Photo List

Time Line

---

Data Table

---

---

---

---

Data Analysis

All Raw Data

The heart lasted till 9:52
The square lasted till 9:16
The rectangle lasted till 10:14
The diamond lasted till 10:04
The circle lasted till 9:32
And the triangle lasted the longest, at 10:17

Graphs

Photos

Results

The triangle lasted the longest out of all six ice shapes

Conclusion

Depending on the size/shape of an ice cube, ice takes a lot longer to melt in a drink, but still takes along time to melt outside the water in 61 to 65 degrees.

Discussion

Benefit to Community and/or Science

This shows people that some kinds of ice cubes last longer than others, and in this case it's a triangle.

Background Research

Ice is made from a liquid so the ice will melt right back into a liquid if I don't start the experiment as soon as I take the ice cubes out of the freezer. The ice that we put into drinks last longer because the ice makes the liquid cold then the liquid keeps the ice cold for longer then it would out of the liquid. In a liquid the ice slowly melts and when it turns back into a liquid, then the water starts to get warm but still stays cold for a while after the ice melts because the ice was cold so when it melts the cold water is still in it. If the ice is out of the water then the ice wont last as long because the liquid that was keeping it cool is not their anymore.
The ice in Alaska or in other cold places like that, has ice all year long because they are always cold. When the ice melts there it means the air is getting to warm for the ice to stay as a solid. The average ice cube last about three minutes when it is in water. When Its not in water it last about two minutes or at least that's what a lot of websites say. If the ice cube floats in the liquid then that means when you froze the ice you put less water in it and it ways a lot less then the others that have a lot more water in it.
Sometimes the liquid the ice cube is in can affect how quickly the ice will melt. If the liquid is in a liquid like Ice Tea then the ice will melt quicker because the Ice Tea makes it melt faster because its not a plain liquid, like water. If I dropped an ice cube in regular tea then it would melt right away because of how hot the tea is. Ice Tea would make the ice melt fast but not as fast as tea. Some other liquids like Ice Tea, and plain tea will make it melt fast and some liquids will make it last longer than normal. Water or cold milk can make it last a lot longer because of how cold it is. What I wont to find out is what liquid and what shape of ice will last the longer.

References

Abstract

How does the shape of an ice cube effect how quickly it melts? Well that's exactly what I tried to figure out! It was a little hard because the ice had to be in all different shapes but around the same size as well. All the ice that i had to freeze took a VERY long time. Probably a few hours. I looked at them about twice every half and hour. I used a lot of different materials to make the ice because I had to make them into shapes and It seems pretty hard to cut ice once its frozen, so I had to use small cookie cutters to freeze it. What I did was use plastic rap and put it over the cookie cutters so the water wouldn't just fall out the bottom. Then I put it on a plate. Last I put the water in it and put it in the freezer. I also had to use a small funnel for the triangle. I did kind of the same thing as the cookie cutters. I put plastic rap in it so the water wouldn't fall out the bottom. Then I put the funnel into a cup so that it would stand up straight when I put it back into the freezer. This one took the longest to freeze because it takes a long time to freeze all the way through in that sort of form. When I did the rectangle and the square I had to use very small, plastic containers. I didn't have to use anything other than the water for those once. All of the shapes of ice had small bubbles. That's one way that I knew for a fact when they were frozen straight through because the bubbles would move or change in shape if it was still water, even at the bottom. If the bubble did move, (which did end up happening) then I had or would have to put it back in till the bubble stops moving around. To be honest at the beginning of this project, when we were told we had to do a science fair, a lot of eighth graders told us that we would hate it. At first I believed them, but now that its almost done I realized that it was really fun doing it. I already have and idea for next year that I will forget about by tomorrow.